Energy

The cost of a solar system to power or heat your home can run anywhere from a few thousand dollars to $50,000 or more. The wide range of investment required is the result of many factors.

The amount of sunlight received in different areas varies considerably. Some places like Santa Fe, New Mexico get sunshine an average of 325 days of the year. By contrast, Seattle has only 58 clear days, 82 days that are partly cloudy and 226 days that are cloudy. In the first case, a solar system would provide ample electricity most of the year. In Seattle’s case, the efficiency would be much lower. For those living in Seattle, many more modules would be required to get the needed amount of electricity. That raises the cost.[click to continue…]